POLICY FORUM 2007: Faith and Freedom: Protecting Human Rights as Common Cause

The Carter Center, Atlanta, September 6-7, 2007

On September 5, 2007, human rights defenders came to Atlanta from 20 countries to discuss the challenges they face in addressing mass atrocities and to make recommendations to the international community. On September 6 and 7, former President Jimmy Carter and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour chaired discussion between the activists and governments representatives, multilateral institutions, and faith-based organizations.

Participants identified challenges and recommendations in preventing, reacting to, and rebuilding after mass atrocities, recognizing that these efforts may take place in overlapping ways.

Through the annual conference in Atlanta and follow-up meetings in Washington, DC, the Policy Forum provides defenders regular opportunities to present their concerns and recommendations directly to senior officials, bringing first-hand field experience to bear on policies and programs that can affect human rights conditions around the world.

The Human Rights Defenders Policy Forum project grew out of a November 2003 conference convened by the Carter Center, and has been co-hosted with Human Rights First each year since 2005. In 2006 the event focused on democratic development and in 2005 on the impact of counterterrorism measures on human rights.

Read the Media Advisory here.

Read the outcomes document here. En Español

See photos of the event

Democracy Now interviews with participants